The present invention relates to a system and method for deflecting the relative wind created by the forward movement of a pickup truck which would otherwise impinge upon the tailgate of the pickup truck.
The adverse effects of wind on the forward facing surface of the tailgate of a pickup truck are well known. Many have addressed the problem by providing a rearwardly and upwardly inclined surface deflecting the wind up and over the tailgate when the truck bed is not filled with cargo. Often, such deflectors are in combination with the definition of storage areas (see, e.g. the Canfield U.S. Pat. No. 4,451,075 and the Kuo U.S. Pat. No. 5,498,058), loading ramps (see, e.g. the Slater U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,838), etc. and thus require substantial modification of the truck bed and/or tailgate. Many of the single function devices also require modification of the truck bed and/or the tailgate of the pickup truck to store the deflector when not deployed (see, e.g. the Corner U.S. Pat. No. 5,435,616).
Others such as that disclosed in the Larsen U.S. Pat. No. 5,551,747 address the stowage problem by providing a false floor which is hinged to the bed at the front end thereof so that the rear end thereof may be selectively raised and lowered. In addition to the requirement that the bed of the truck be modified, the presence of the deflector on the bed is problematical and an unsatisfactory gap is created between the raised end of the deflector and the tailgate.
More recently, Lehmann U.S. Pat. No. 6,712,423 dated Mar. 30, 2004 discloses and claims a flexible sail retractably mounted on the top of the tailgate.
Still other attempts to address the stowage problem include the hinging of two rigid panels to the top of the tailgate and the folding thereof into a stored position against the forward facing surface of the closed tailgate. The maintenance of the sail in the deployed position, and the mechanism for attaching the two rigid panels to each other, remain problematic.
For example, the Vallerand U.S. Pat. No. 5,722,714 maintains the panels in the deployed position by fastening the distal end of the forward panel of the wind deflector to the truck bed. This requires modification of the truck bed and increases the difficulty in deploying and storing the deflector. Depressions in the truck bed accumulate dirt and debris which must be removed before the deflector can be stored. The storage of such devices may also interfere with the stowage of a spare tire.
Other systems such as disclosed in the Felker U.S. Pat. No. 5,743,589 avoid the necessity for attaching the distal end of the forward panel of the wind deflector to the truck bed by making the panels sufficiently rigid and thick, and by the location of the hinges used to connect the panels that the abutting edges of the panels limit the rotation of the forward panel upwardly beyond the plane of the rear panel. The force of the relative wind is concentrated on the hinged junction, and, in general, such structures have proven unsatisfactory because of the thickness and strength of materials required to mechanically resist the force of the relative wind. Such structures do not address the gusting problem, apparently depending on the weight of the deflector to maintain the distal end of the lower panel in contact with the truck bed and thus add unwanted weight to the truck.
Attempts to telescope one panel of the wind deflector within the other panel of the deflector for storage against the closed tailgate when not deployed are disclosed in the Benchoff U.S. Pat. No. 5,069,498 and the Mora, Sr. U.S. Pat. No. 5,735,567. These telescoping devices necessarily have substantial thickness inasmuch as the telescoped panel must have sufficient structural integrity to resist the substantial pressure of the relative wind generated by high speed driving, and the telescoping panel must overlie and structurally support the telescoped panel on both top and bottom flat surfaces. Where, as claimed in the Benchoff patent, the forward, lower panel is received into the upper, rear panel, the cavity in the upper panel may capture air flowing up the lower panel and reduce the effectiveness of the deflector. Still additional thickness is required if the assembly includes laterally extendable panels to accommodate truck beds of different widths, and the construction of such complicated assemblies is generally expensive.
More recently, the Lehmann U.S. Pat. No. 6,729,680 issued Mar. 30, 2004 discloses and claims a two piece wind deflector that is pivotally secured to the top of the closed tailgate and folds into a stored position against the forward facing surface of the tailgate. This device utilizes a gust strap connecting the distal end of the forward panel to retain the deflector in the deployed position and thus avoids the problems associated with attachment of the sail to the truck bed. It also addresses the problems associated with the force of the wind on the interconnection of the two panels by the use of a flat brace overlying the junction and by the tensioning of the gust strap so as to create and maintain a compensatory “bow” against the concavity of shape which would otherwise result from the pressure of the relative wind. This latter system has proven to be both light weight and highly effective, and it relies on the gust strap to retain the distal end of the forward panel in the forward and down position when deployed.
The wind deflector of the present invention, in various embodiments, retains the highly desirable characteristic of removable mounting to the tailgate, the avoidance of attachment to the truck bed, and flat storage against the tailgate when not deployed to maximize the cargo carrying capacity of the truck.
In one aspect the wind deflector of the present invention achieves greater structural integrity, strength and rigidity of the sail by connecting the two panels to each other in a sliding relationship with the lower, forward panel overlying the upper, rear panel. In another aspect the deflector of the present invention effects positive control of the distal end of the forward panel both as to the degree of extension and its proximity to the truck bed. In yet another aspect, the deflector of the present invention can be deployed from the fully “stowed” position on the forward facing surface of the closed tailgate to the fully “deployed” position through the actuation of a switch located at one or more convenient places on the vehicle, including the passenger compartment.
These and many other objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art to which the invention pertains from a perusal of the claims, the appended drawings, and the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments.